Lady Samantha Merian
Samantha Merian (3 October 1720 - 8 June 1751) was a Swiss noblewoman and socialite, who briefly acted as Minister of Home in the government of Lord Azreel Wolfe from May to June of 1751, succeeding her sister, Lady Darby Merian, who has been sitting Minister of Home till her resignation and departure from the Kingdom of the Swiss in May of 1751. Samantha had served under her elder sister as Director of Home (Deputy Home Minister) up until that point, however her time in office was abrubtly cut short by her death in June of that year due to severe dysentery, which led to the fall of House Merian from custodianship of the MInistry of Home. Early Life and Career Samantha Merian was born one year after her sister, the later Duchess of Sardinia, to the influential House of Merian, loyal banners of the rulers of Piedmont-Sardinia, and the Counts of Olba-Tempio, a minor enclave on the northeastern tip of Sardinia. She was from an early age trained alongside her sister as a handmaiden to the Princess of Sassari, though was expelled from the Princess' service after only two years in the Royal household. She returned to Olba-Tempio at the age of 15, and was instead assigned by her mother to host the balls, galas, and local events being held in the region. She was known for her disputes with Alessandro Besozzi, the court conductor in Olba-Tempio, whom she viewed as misogynistic. Her disputes led to the latter's eventual departure from her father's court, eventually settling in Turin and becoming the King's conductor years later. When her sister was named Minister of Home in the Cabinet of Prince Ryan Kroshbon, Samantha was summoned to Berne, where she would be appointed the first Director of Home, following the posts inception in February and at her sister's insistence. She was known to be a capable deputy to her elder sister, and was able to coordinate the secondary objectives of the Ministry, as well as oversee its staff. She emerged as a leading member of the Swiss government, easily one of the most influential politicians in the capital, and an ideal candidate for Ministry, behind her sister. Death and Legacy After finally replacing Darby in May of 1751, Samantha would be appointed Acting Minister of Home and invited to the Cabinet of Lord Azreel Wolfe. Her post would become extremely shortlived, and less than three weeks after taking office, she died of a severe case of dysentery, which was later traced to food posioning in her diet of undercooked chicken. This would make her the shortest serving Cabinet minister in Swiss history up until that point, and would severely tarnish the pretige of House Merian, effectively relieving it of its only two insiders in government, as the third, and youngest, Merian sister, Lady Li, was wife to Sir Alexander Kohleschmied, and resided in Venice. Despite the fact she never legally held the title, following her death, Lord Sam Merian, an older cousin, was appointed Duke by the King. Samantha's reputation would sour in the following months, with many placing her illicit relationship with then Minister of State, Lord Wolf Kroshbon, as a hinderence to government productivity, and viewed her automatic appointment to the Cabinet without the advisement of the Tagsatzung as an offense against the individual Canton rights. Category:Switzerland Category:People